ST. CHARLES, MO - Although SSM St. Joseph Health Center employees donned scrubs, gloves and masks, and jumped into action Saturday morning, they weren’t participating in a real-life trauma. They were celebrating their heritage!
The SSM St. Joseph Health Center 2010 Olympiad on Saturday, June 5, was just one of several events planned this year to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the hospital.
Employees participated in a morning full of competitive games, including Wheelchair Races, an “Amazing Race,” Baby Swaddling, Operation, Food Tasting, Bed Races, and the “UR-in Relay Race.”
For the Amazing Race, participants dashed through neighborhoods surrounding the hospital in search of clues to help lead them back to the starting line. During Operation and Baby Swaddling, contestants had to follow proper protocol, wearing scrubs, masks and gloves before completing the “procedures.”
For food tasting, participants tasted several Jelly Belly jellybeans that resembled cafeteria menu items, including banana pudding parfait and orange juice. In the UR-in Relay, teams passed a bed pan filled with apple juice to their teammates without spilling it. Finally, the wheelchair and bed races tested agility and endurance, as employees zoomed around cones to attempt a first place finish.
“The games were a blast,” says Laveda Roy, RN, director of The Family Birthplace/Medical Oncology Dialysis. “I had so much fun, and I hope we do it again next year. I think the easiest event for me was baby swaddling since I work in The Family Birthplace every day! I came in first place!”
The games took place at a small parking lot between St. Peter Parish and School across from St. Joseph Health Center. Employees were awarded prizes for their efforts – $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $100 for third place.
“"We're very proud of our heritage and very proud of celebrating 125 years," says Gaspare Calvaruso, St. Joseph Health Center president. "What better way to celebrate than with a little friendly competition? It was great fun!”
Also planned this month as a part of St. Joseph Health Center’s 125th Anniversary activities, hospital employees will partner with Independence Elementary School in St. Peters to send care packages to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
About SSM St. Joseph Health Center
SSM St. Joseph Health Center, a state-designated Level II Trauma Center, Chest Pain Center and Primary Stroke Center, is recipient of the Premier Award for Quality, Premier/CareScience Award for Excellence in Quality of Patient Care and Efficiency and Premier Award for Quality/National Leader in Heart Attack Care. The facility offers a broad range of exceptional services and houses SSM Cancer Care, the SSM Heart Institute, The Vascular Institute, SSM Center for Sleep Disorders and more. Along with SSM St. Joseph Hospital West, it is the largest provider of health care in St. Charles, Warren and Lincoln counties. St. Joseph Health Center and St. Joseph Hospital West are members of SSM Health Care, the first health care winner of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. For more information about St. Joseph Health Center, please visit www.ssmstjoseph.com
For additional photos visit: SSM Health Care – St. Louis’ Flickr site
For more information, contact:
Rachel Peine
Rachel_C_Peine@ssmhc.com
636-947-5621 (office)
314-908-0463 (pager)